TuoMedia: Applaud Yang Hansen’s free throws; we need to give him time to gradually build confidence.

On January 5th Beijing time, Trail Blazers media member Chris Burkhardt talked about Yang Hansen on a podcast, applauding his steady free throw shooting and suggesting that people should give him the time and chance to slowly build his confidence. Below is the related podcast content—

“In the game against the Spurs, the Trail Blazers made 16 out of 27 free throws, which was quite poor. Caleb Love, who had been reliable at the line before, only made 1 out of 4 attempts today. This really makes us miss Lillard, because you can count on one hand the number of free throws he’s missed all season—his accuracy is outstanding. I think everyone should look at the players’ free throw performance today and maybe give Yang Hansen a round of applause for making both his attempts. Remember, he was the only player on the team to hit all his free throws. Honestly, although Hansen hasn’t met many people’s expectations, his free throw consistency is very good, with a season shooting percentage of 92.9% (13 out of 14).”

Data shows that Yang Hansen ranks second on the team in free throw percentage this season. He and Sabur are the only two players on the team shooting over 90% from the line. Sabur has only played 4 games due to injury, making all 4 attempts for a perfect 100%. The Trail Blazers’ overall team free throw percentage this season is 77.1%, ranking 24th in the league.

“I know expectations for Yang Hansen are high, and honestly, many people have started to feel a bit disappointed. The season has gone through 36 games, but for various reasons, he hasn’t fully integrated into the team’s rotation yet. Some fans are upset, thinking the team used a high draft pick on him and made those trades, saying ‘We could have picked that player instead or this one.’ But we have to understand, that’s how the NBA draft works; not every high pick rookie can immediately deliver star-level performances. Take Caleb Love for example—he was undrafted and overlooked by many teams. Now, Love ranks among the top 12 rookies in average points per game (note: 9.9 points per game, 11th among rookies).”

“Some rookies need time to develop—most do. Not every rookie can quickly perform at an All-Star level like Flagler. Moreover, as an interior player, adapting to the NBA’s pace is extremely challenging, especially for a young player coming from an overseas league. The rules, playing style, and competition level there are completely different from the NBA, not to mention being far from home and learning a new language. He faces and has to overcome many difficulties. I believe we should continue giving him chances, letting him play about 10 minutes each game to gradually build his confidence.”

So far this season, Yang Hansen averages 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 28.8%, three-point percentage of 13.6%, and free throw percentage of 92.9%. The Trail Blazers hold a 16-20 record, currently sitting 9th in the Western Conference.